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Brittany Aldean landed in hot water after she posted a video of herself doing makeup and captioning the post with a comment that criticized parents of transgender kids for affirming their children’s gender. “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” she wrote on Instagram. Since then the American Idol alum, who is married to Jason Aldean, has faced much criticism for the comment and ones she’s made since then and doubled down on her statement. Find out more about Brittany and the controversy here.
1. Brittany got called out by other women in country music
Since Brittany, 34, made her initial comments, singers Maren Morris and Cassadee Pope subtweeted her on August 26. “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition,” Cassadee wrote. Maren responded by suggesting keeping quiet. “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” she wrote.
After the singers called her out, Brittany took to her Instagram Stories to clap back and criticize parents who provide gender-affirming care for their kids on Wednesday, August 31. “Advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender affirming care’ is one of the worst evils. I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence,” she said, via Billboard. “Some parents want to be accepted by society so badly that they’re willing to make life-altering decisions for their children who aren’t old enough to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions. Love is protecting your child until they are mature enough as an adult to make their own life decisions. Thankful my parents allowed me to go through my tom boy phase without changing my gender.” She’s also taken the “Insurrection Barbie” comment in stride, releasing her own line of t-shirts, which say “Don’t tread on our kids” in the pink font, associated with the toy. Proceeds are going to Operation Light Shine. Despite Brittany’s transphobic comments, it’s worth noting that medical guidelines don’t recommend children under the age of 18 undergo gender-affirming surgeries, per The Washington Post.
2. Jason was dropped by his PR firm after the comments
Following Brittany’s comments, The GreenRoom, a Nashville-based public relations firm, opted to drop Jason, 45, from their roster. While he didn’t mention the comments, co-owner Tyne Parrish opened up about their decision to no longer represent him in a statement. “Music has always been and remains The GreenRoom’s core focus, so we had to make the difficult decision after 17 years to step away from representing Jason,” he said, per People. “We aren’t the best people for the gig anymore, but will always be big fans of his music — he is one of the greatest live entertainers in country music.” It’s worth noting that Jason is still listed on the roster on The GreenRoom’s website.
3. She defended the comments on Fox
After the fallout from the comments, Brittany was a guest on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox on Thursday, September 1. The right-wing commentator echoed Brittany’s wrong comments about gender-affirming surgery as he defended her “In 2022, this is a thought crime. You’re required to think that minors should be castrated by their parents,” he said, before she was a guest on his evening show. Again, medical guidance does not call for gender-affirming surgeries to be performed until a child is 18.
When Brittany was a guest, she doubled down on her comments and repeated her sentiments about not letting a child decide their gender at a young age. “I’m advocating for children. I think children should not be allowed to make this life-changing decision at such a young age,” she said.
4. She’s been married to Jason since 2015
Brittany is not Jason’s first wife. He was first married to Jessica Ann Ussery in 2001. The exes share two daughters. He was first linked to Brittany after he admitted that he “screwed up,” while at a bar in a 2012 Facebook post. After the singer’s post, Brittany also released a statement apologizing for the “lapse in judgement,” per TMZ. “I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone that has been affected by this, including my friends & family,” she said. After the incident, Jason filed for divorce from Jessica in 2013, and he began dating Brittany shortly after. Once the divorce was finalized, the two tied the knot in 2015.
5. They have two kids
Since getting married, Brittany has had two children with Jason. Their son Memphis, 4, was born in 2017. They welcomed their daughter Navy, 3, in 2019. When defending her transphobic comment, Brittany referenced both of her children, and likened them playing to transgender children. “The other day Memphis wanted to be a dinosaur and tomorrow Navy will want to be a cat. They’re children,” she said.